


A Knockout Or Two

by wjmoon (sodapeach)



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crushes, Explicit Language, First Kiss, Fist Fights, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, This really is fluff i promise..., blood mention, kind of they vaguely know each other idk, mention of injury, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26550025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodapeach/pseuds/wjmoon
Summary: Wooseok’s school bully gets a taste of his own medicine when a guy Wooseok doesn’t know that well springs into action.The reason why might surprise you (spoiler alert: it won’t).
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Kim Wooseok | Wooshin
Comments: 23
Kudos: 151





	A Knockout Or Two

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Bullying is vaguely mentioned here, but what happened is never said outright. There’s a whole bunch of ways it could be interpreted, so that being said, I did not include a warning. However, if you feel like you might stumble across something that could upset you, please don’t feel obligated to read :( I don’t want to cause anyone any pain! It really is just a small part of the story though and not the main focus. Sort of the spark that ignites the fire, if that makes sense.
> 
> Anyways, that being said, I really hope you enjoy it!

Wooseok wasn’t sure what happened. One minute his eyes were glued to the floor as he snaked his way through the crowded hall with tears burning his eyes, and the next he was yanked back by the sound a loud  _ pop _ followed by a yelp and then the roar from the other students as they gravitated towards the fray.

The guy who bothered Wooseok for the last four years was pinned against one of the lockers with a bloody nose by someone Wooseok barely knew. He was his old lab partner, he was sure. A tall, laid back boy who was usually all smiles and charm. They hadn’t really spoken much since they had class together, if they even spoke then at all other than the occasional  _ pass me the forceps,  _ but now his hands tightly gripped a rumpled up uniform collar with murder in his eyes and a fresh bruise on his mouth.

_ “The fuck did you say?” _

“Man, let me go,” he whined. “I didn’t say nothing!”

_ Yes he did. He always does…  _ Wooseok froze in place as he watched the melee. The boy, Song… Sung…

“Get him, Seungyoun!”

Wooseok’s mouth went dry. Seungyoun, hit him again this time across the cheek, and the other boy’s head whipped back against the locker, and then he was out.  _ Uh oh. _

“He knocked him out cold!”

“Holy shit!”

“Dude, you killed him!”

Seungyoun let go, and he slid down the locker onto the floor. Wooseok held a breath that he didn’t release until the boy’s head rolled back and a groan escaped a busted lip.  _ Thank God.  _ Even Seungyoun’s shoulders dropped in relief. Everyone fell silent as the weight of what had happened between them sank in, but the moment was short lived.

A shrill whistle came from down the hall, and soon the three of them were left alone as the rest of the students scattered like cockroaches. Wooseok wasn’t really sure why he was still there himself, but it was his fault, wasn’t it? He was just as involved as they were.

“Cho! Park!” A voice thundered, shaking Wooseok to the core. It was one of the teachers, a man in his thirties. He taught history, he was pretty sure. Lee something, but Wooseok was still too shocked to remember much. The teacher reached down and helped Park Pissypants up to his feet who wavered uselessly like one of those teetering clown toys. “You okay?”

The body nodded and shot Seungyoun a venomous look.

“Can you get yourself to the nurse’s office,” he asked, not letting him speak. He spoke kindly, but somehow without sympathy. “I’ll have someone call your parents to come get you.”

“You’re fucking dead, Youn.”

“Mr. Park,” the teacher scolded. “Maybe I should call your parents myself?”

The boy shook his head bitterly and turned to leave by himself without a chance to defend himself or throw out any skewed accusations. He probably should’ve had an escort considering he probably had a concussion, but since everyone ran away, there was no one left to take him but Wooseok, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to do him any favors.

“Seungyoun,” the teacher sighed, rubbing his temple. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Improv acting?” Seungyoun tried sheepishly. “Got a little carried away, I guess. Might just stick to stand-up.”

The teacher’s cheek twitched like he wanted to laugh, but instead he forced himself to frown. “Fighting? Really? You? I’m disappointed.”

“It’s my fault!” Wooseok shouted, finally able to speak. “Please don’t kick him out of school, he was only trying to help me!”

Seungyoun shot him a surprised look. The teacher studied them both. “Is that so?”

“Yes!”

“No.”

Wooseok froze.  _ It wasn't?  _ He felt his cheeks burn in humiliation. He assumed the fight was because of what he said to him, but then again he had been told before that he had a bad habit of thinking the whole world revolved around him. Maybe that was the case here too.

Seungyoun shrugged casually. “Sometimes people just need to get punched.”

The teacher winced like that was the last thing he needed to hear.

“He called me a–,” he blurted out. Seungyoun flushed, startled, but Wooseok couldn’t say it, but the teacher seemed to understand.

He turned to Seungyoun and sighed, looking him over like he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with him. “Detention?”

“Sounds about right,” he nodded, nursing the crack in his lip with the tip of his thumb. He didn’t seem too upset with his punishment, but Wooseok wouldn’t stand for it.

“After school,” he said before turning to leave. “Follow me so I can write you up.”

“Wait!” Wooseok called out, following them. He had to fix this somehow.

And that was how Wooseok ended up serving detention for the first time in his life at his own insistence. Seungyoun thought he was insane for not leaving even when he was told several times that he didn’t have to be there, but Wooseok didn’t care. It was his fault the fight happened in the first place so it was only fair that he served the punishment too along with him, but he was also there for another reason. He needed to find out why.

People said shit about him all the time, and he just sucked it up and then took out his frustration on his pillow when he got home like a normal person, but no one ever jumped in to help. After Jinhyuk moved away, Wooseok didn’t have a lot of friends so there never was anyone around to, but Seungyoun didn’t even really know him. There was no reason for him to react at all, especially not like  _ that. _

Unfortunately, every time Wooseok leaned over to ask, the teacher monitoring them (a different man with much less hair) would threaten to add another fifteen minutes to their (Seungyoun’s) sentence, and Wooseok was forced to be quiet. 

When he finally let them go home, it was late and based on the low roar from the roof outside, it was flooding outside. Wooseok and Seungyoun headed out together, both without saying anything, and although it looked coincidental, it was obvious that Wooseok was following him, but Seungyoun didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he moved like he was used to Wooseok being there which made Wooseok feel like him being there was normal. If only it was.

The question sat unmoved on his tongue as they walked through the school together with their backpacks and sensitive egos. He could tell by the way that Seungyoun wouldn’t look at him that he didn’t want him to ask him about it, but he had to…

They made it to the school entrance without saying a word. The busses had all already run for the day, and Wooseok supposed Seungyoun would drive himself home so he decided to call his mom to come get him so he wouldn’t have to walk home in rain, but when it was time to part ways, Seungyoun walked out into it  _ away _ from the parking lot.

“Where are you going,” Wooseok called out from under the awning. “You’re going to get all wet!”

Seungyoun looked up at the sky with a faint smile and raised his arms up at it, embracing the downpour like an old friend. “I’m already all wet; what’s the difference?”

He had a point. Once he stepped out, he was drenched, and it wasn’t like he could get more or less soaked no matter which way he went.

“You coming?”

Wooseok swallowed. He never expected an invitation, but this was his chance. He just didn’t want the free bath that came with it.

“ _ Wooseokie _ ,” he teased, shuffling like a fool to taunt him. Wooseok’s heart jumped at the use of a nickname, but he supposed it was his right since he fought for him (and won). His chest tightened. If he knew what it was like to have a crush on someone, this was probably it. “Scared of a little water?”

Wooseok rolled his eyes, but if he meant to be stubborn, his legs weren’t listening. With two wobbly steps, he propelled himself forward into the rain to follow Seungyoun. Fortunately, the longer he walked in it, the less annoying it was. Or Seungyoun’s nonchalant personality was contagious, but that wasn’t something he wanted to think too deeply about.

“Where are we going?” 

Seungyoun pointed towards the soccer field ahead, making Wooseok’s stomach sink with nerves. Wouldn’t they get in trouble? He doubted two detentions in one week would bode well for Seungyoun, and even if technically it would only be Wooseok’s first, he didn’t want to get in trouble at all.

They walked towards the center of the field with Wooseok still following behind. The rain eased up to something they didn’t have to shout over, but puddles of rainwater already pooled in the grass, causing his shoes to squish into the damp ground. To Wooseok’s surprise, Seungyoun dropped his things and laid down on his back comfortably. He smiled as the rain splashed down on his face, and Wooseok wondered what it was like to feel that free.

Wooseok sat down next to him and looked down at his hands while he gathered his courage.

“Thank you,” he finally said.

“No need to thank me.”

“Sure I do. No one’s ever done something like that for me before, and you could have gotten in trouble.”

“I did get in trouble,” he laughed.

“Bigger trouble.”

He hummed, amused. “So don’t thank me so I won’t want to do it again.”

Wooseok’s lips thinned, and Seungyoun laughed.

“It’s not a big deal, okay? He had it coming.”

“It  _ is  _ a big deal. Just let me say thank you.”

Seungyoun scrunched his nose and shook his head.

“Thank you,” Wooseok barked, and Seungyoun laughed even more brightly.

“Alright! Alright,” he said, swatting at him. “You’re welcome.”

Wooseok smiled to himself, content. It made him feel brave. Brave enough to ask what he had wanted to all day. “Why did you do it?”

Seungyoun sighed deeply and closed his eyes. “I don’t know. That guy’s been bothering you for a while, and I guess I’d had enough.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It was Seungyoun’s turn to look at him with a thinned mouth, a slight furrow to his brow. “I didn’t think anyone noticed.”

“Of course people notice,” he said. “You’re the prettiest guy in the whole school, and he’s an idiot who thinks he has the right to fuck with you. But it shouldn’t happen again, so don’t worry about it.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s pretty hard to bother someone with both teeth knocked out,” he considered.

Wooseok snorted. “I shouldn’t laugh.”

“Yes you should,” he said kindly.

“Why’s that?”

“Because I like your laugh, and it makes me feel like I did the right thing.”

“I don’t know if it was the right thing, but I’m glad you did it anyway.”

Seungyoun closed his eyes again like he meant to take a nap. Wooseok hung his head and smiled to himself, enjoying the flutter in his chest that came from being next to him. It was a feeling he hadn’t really had the chance to experience since they last had class together. 

It was quiet for a while as Wooseok thought and Seungyoun rested, but then more questions came, and he no longer hesitated to ask them.

“Do you do this often? Schoolyard vigilante justice?”

Seungyoun laughed and shook his head. “I’ve never been in a fight before actually.”

“Really? You did a really good job…”

“Thank you.”

“But why?”

“Ahh,” he sighed. “I saw your face, and I didn’t like it.”

“You don’t like my face?” Wooseok giggled.

“No, I like it a lot actually, I just saw how upset you were, and I didn’t want it to happen again. So now it won’t.”

Wooseok ignored the compliment in favor of the shame he felt for being so weak in public. He should have been stronger than that. He shouldn’t have cared. He should have stuck up for himself for once.

“Hey, look, if it makes you feel any better,” Seungyoun started before trailing off.

“What?” Wooseok swallowed anxiously.

“...I forgot what I was going to say.”

“Oh my god,” he groaned.

“It’s the pain medicine,” he whined pitifully. “You’re lucky I’m not out here chasing zebras.”

Wooseok winced and glanced at his busted fist and lip. He must have been in a lot of pain to need medicine that could make him see zebras. “Does it hurt?”

“You should see the other guy,” Seungyoun grinned.

“I did see the other guy.”

“I’m sorry you had to,” he said sadly. “I don’t want you to think I’m that kind of person…”

“I don’t,” Wooseok assured him. “Why do you care what I think anyway?”

Seungyoun looked at him without saying anything, a slight flush to his ears that was barely noticeable in the low light. Wooseok’s stomach flipped as he felt his own face turn red.  _ Oh. _

“I know you’re not,” he said quietly, letting the question fall unanswered.

“How do you know?”

“Because you cried when they told us we had to dissect frogs.”

“I did not cry!”

“I had to do both of ours so you wouldn’t fail,” Wooseok shouted. 

Seungyoun broke out into a flurry of giggles, embarrassed by the memory, but it was cut short by a hiss in pain as he pulled open the cut in his lip. “Ah! Damn it.”

Wooseok’s chest ached. Even though he pretended to be all smiles, he was probably in a lot of pain, and it was all Wooseok’s fault. He was grateful, but he regretted so much. How could he ever return this kindness?

Something brave and  _ stupid  _ stirred inside him. He pushed himself up onto his knees, ignoring how the water on the ground soaked through the fabric to his skin. He moved towards him, and Seungyoun paused to ask what he was doing, but Wooseok didn’t want to stop and lose his nerve.

He bent down and planted a soft and chaste kiss on his lips, not using enough pressure to be satisfying for either of them because he didn’t want to hurt him, but Seungyoun pressed up to meet him in a way that shot directly to his chest. He inhaled sharply as he let his lips part to kiss him again once he was sure the other boy wanted him to, supporting Seungyoun’s head in his hand as he craned up for him. 

It took everything he had to ignore the urge to kiss him properly like he wanted to, but he managed to pull himself back since Seungyoun was injured. It was only supposed to be a show of gratitude, after all.

He just happened to be grateful for a lot, apparently.

“You know,” Seungyoun sat up on his elbows, his cheeks flushed and eyes hazy. “If I was your boyfriend, I would get in fights for you all the time.”

Wooseok visibly cringed and covered his face. His knight in shining armor was the worst.

“It was worth a shot,” he sighed, flopping down. 

Wooseok laid down next to him, drained. He looked over, but Seungyoun avoided his gaze, probably kicking himself for being so cheesy. “That wasn’t a no.”

Seungyoun turned towards him and raised a brow. “You wanna go out with me sometime?”

“Maybe,” he said, holding back an excited smile, his chest ready to burst.

“What would make a good first date for you? I want to leave a good impression.”

Wooseok smiled. “Then I guess it would have to be detention.”

Seungyoun seemed pleased with that.

“Maybe a second date then,” he asked. He turned Wooseok’s jaw towards him and glanced down at his lips. “Can I have another kiss while I think about it? You know, for inspiration?”

Wooseok laughed and nodded shyly, letting himself be kissed clumsily but carefully by someone who, for all his outward coolness and valor, still trembled against his mouth.

  
  
  


“So when are you free?” Seungyoun pulled away from him to catch his breath so he wouldn’t get too carried away. He touched his mouth idly, not sure if the tingling he felt was because he finally knew what his long time crush’s lips tasted like or if it was the after effects of being elbowed in the face by one of his classmates.

“Now,” Wooseok swallowed, looking up at him with the most beautiful sparkling eyes he’d ever seen. His hair was soaked, and his high cheeks held a soft rosiness that made him look even more like an angel than he did when he walked through the halls, too intimidating for anyone to ever speak to him. Seungyoun had wanted to a thousand times, but he knew he had a bad habit of making stupid jokes when he was nervous, and he didn’t want Wooseok to think he was a loser. Unfortunately, he was always nervous around him so the chance never came.

But just because he was scared to talk to him did not mean other people were allowed to disrespect him, and now that the message was out that Wooseok was not to be messed with, he felt confident enough to linger around long enough to say a few more stupid things.

Seungyoun hung his head and sucked his teeth. “I don’t think that’ll work for me.”

“Oh,” he paled and sat up, brushing himself off like he had been rejected. “I get it.”

“I mean,” he reached out and took his hand. “I don’t think my mom is going to let me out of the house for a few weeks after Uncle Dongwook calls her and tells her he had to give me detention for this.”

Wooseok’s mouth dropped.  _ “Uncle?” _

“Yeah,” he laughed, scratching his head with his free hand. “Don’t tell anyone though, please? It’s kind of a secret.”

“Kind of,” he nodded. “I feel like this is a plot twist.”

Seungyoun laughed brightly and took both of Wooseok’s hands in his. “It’s just to make things easier for both of us so no one thinks he gives me special treatment.”

Wooseok raised his brow. “You started a fight and didn’t get kicked out.”

“I was defending! Your honor!  _ And _ I got detention,” he pouted.

Wooseok laughed. “Is that what you were doing? Defending my honor?”

“Of course,” he said quietly.

“Well thank you,” he leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Seungyoun’s whole body warmed. It was like every kiss made him forget the pain in his hand and mouth and softened him to the core. He hoped they never ended.

“Hey,” he said quietly, turning slightly. Wooseok raised his brows in confusion before he muttered a quiet  _ oh.  _ He moved towards him and kissed the unmarked corner of his mouth carefully, treating him like Seungyoun was the one who took the beating, but he won, if he recalled. He scrunched his nose and shook his head. “Is that all?”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he looked down.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he promised. “It makes it better, really.”

“Really?”

“Mhm,” he nodded. “Please?”

“Okay,” he said softly and kissed him again, smiling against his mouth.

But then reality hit, and a wave of self consciousness took over. “Are only doing this because you feel like you have to?”

“No!” Wooseok pulled away. “Does it feel like it?”

“No, I just wanted to be sure,” he said.

Wooseok stood up to his feet, and he regretted asking at all. He finally got his moment after  _ years _ , and it was over because of his stupid self doubts. He reached down to him though to Seungyoun’s surprise. “Come on, let’s get you home so I can tell your mom you’re actually a hero.”

Seungyoun blinked. “You’re gonna what?”

“You’re going to go home and act like nothing happened, and she’s gonna get mad when really you were just being a good person,” he said. “And then when she sees how great I am, she’ll let me come stay with you after school while you’re grounded.”

He let himself be lifted up and giggled. “You’ve got a lot of balls, you know. My mom can be scary.”

“I’ve gotta defend your honor,” he said. “You know, as your boyfriend, I guess.”

Seungyoun almost screamed. “Wait, that was a yes? Really?”

“Yes, you idiot,” he swatted at him playfully, so tiny and full of rage. “Come on, you’re going to get sick.”

“Will you take care of me if I do,” he asked annoyingly as he followed him out, clinging onto him like they had been close for years.

“I already have to take care of you,” Wooseok rolled his eyes, letting him wrap himself around his arm. “You’ve gone and gotten yourself all busted up, and now I have to patch you up.”

“Hey,” he whined. “That was for you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, flushing. “I know.”

“As long as you know.”

“I think the whole school knows.”

Seungyoun giggled. “That was pretty cool, wasn’t it.”

Wooseok eyed him sharply.

“Wasn’t it?”

He half laughed in disbelief. “Yeah, it was cool.”

“As long as you think so,” he said with pride. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

“Your place,” he insisted.

“Oh, you were serious?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t keep you out of detention, but I can at least apologize to your mom for causing you both so much trouble.”

“You really don’t have to–.”

“And then bandage up my boyfriend so he doesn’t scar,” Wooseok smiled fondly.

“Okay,” he said quietly with a warm smile. “I guess that part is fine.”

Wooseok hummed as they walked hand in hand to Seungyoun’s car, their wet clothes clinging onto them because they were fools for not going home earlier, but if they had (or if Seungyoun had been brave enough to face his mom after school), he wouldn’t have gotten to kiss Wooseok, and as it turned out, after waiting for so long to try it, he liked kissing Wooseok very much.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> I was originally going to tell the whole story from Seungyoun’s perspective, but I didn’t want to get too descriptive with the fight so since Wooseok only saw the end... yes.


End file.
